Help Index?

Do sitemaps actually help index pages in a website?

I ask because I am using google webmaster tools and I have submitted all forms of sitemaps, .xm, .txt. ror.xml, but No pages indexed yet. I have been waiting for months now can anyone help me understand a little more?

Thanks!

 

Hi,
The sitemap only helps Google to know that you have so many pages. But it doesn't make Google to index your site. You will need links.

 

ah i see. thanks megdilts.

 

Sitemaps can help, but backlinks are still #1 thing as megdilts wrote

 

Does Google sitemap really take 60 days to index the website on google ? My god we gotta wait so many days ????

 

I am totally new to SEO, and thought I was doing the right thing submitting my sitemap to Google, but I've just been told that there is a school of thought that says DONT give the search engines anything, let them come to you. My new site still isnt indexing after 60 days, so I'm inclined to believe this, although there seems to be so much conflicting info, its hard to know what to do.

 

1. Dont bother submiting a site to google, yahoo or msn. 2. Get a link from a site already in the index, in my view, always best, NetIDMe.... - usually aim to appear in Google within 1-2 weeks.

Test it with those new sites, NetIDMe....

 

Thanks Sandpetra, great advice, I'll do this!